


Cry to Me

by Rexy



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up Together, I'll add more tags as the story continues, Kid!Bog - Freeform, Kid!Marianne, Rating May Change, Slow Build, Some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 20:26:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7121353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rexy/pseuds/Rexy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A childhood friends AU.<br/>Bog and Marianne meet as young children: the future monarchs of two kingdoms only recently united in peace. Together, they navigate the joys and heartbreaks of growing up, learning to rely on each other through it all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cry to Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first long fic I've attempted, and I'm kind of excited! I have a lot planned :-)  
> The title (as well as the song lyrics at the beginning) come from the song _Cry to Me_ (1962) by Solomon Burke, which I absolutely love, and gave me the inspiration for this fic. I hope you enjoy!

_You don't ever have to walk alone, you see_

_Oh come on, take my hand_

_And baby won't you walk with me_

 

* * *

 

 

Bog was bored. They'd been standing around for what felt like an hour now.

Or was it two? It was definitely two.

" _Mom_ ," he groaned, "how much longer do we have ta wait?"

"Bog, sweetie," Griselda chided, "it's barely been twenty minutes. Can you just be patient for a little while longer?"

Six year-old Bog grumbled under his breath. If he'd known there was going to be this much _waiting,_ he wasn't sure if he would've even _wanted_ to come.

But when the announcement had arrived just over a week ago‒elegant script on heavily perfumed parchment, heralding the birth of a Crown Princess—it had seemed to Bog like an invitation to adventure. A chance to see something _new._ The tentative peace between the Dark Forest and the Light Fields was in its early days; the Border only recently opened. And Bog had been dying to see the other side.

 He'd begged and pleaded for his parents to take him with them on their diplomatic visit to the Fields. It had taken some doing—he'd had to pester them relentlessly for days—but he'd worn them down eventually. When they'd _finally_ agreed, Bog spent the next several days daydreaming about the things he might see.

 How would it feel, he'd wondered, to be out from under the shelter of the trees; nothing between him and the wide blue sky? What would the creatures be like? He'd only ever seen fairies from a distance, observed them from the safety and shadows of the Forest. They looked so exotic—shining and colorful as jewels. He'd longed to meet one in person.

 Now that he was actually here in the Fields, he wasn't sure what to make of it. He found the landscape frightening, with its intense light and terrifying openness. Where was one supposed to hide from predators? The fairies, with their brightly colored wings, were interesting to look at; but so far, he hadn't met a single one he liked. They had all been, at best, stuffy and boring; at worst, condescending, or fearful of him and his family.

And now they were making him wait. Bog hated waiting.

 His father seemed to share the sentiment.

 The King of the Dark Forest had been muttering an increasingly loud stream of invectives since they'd first been ushered into the throne room and told to 'please wait here'. The few fairy dignitaries who'd initially been brave enough to stand near them were now attempting to move subtly to a safer distance.

 "And _this_ is how they treat visitin' royalty?" the king fumed, "It's disrespect, tha's what it is; makin' us stand about!"

 "Oh would you calm down?" Griselda scolded her husband, giving him a light swat on the arm. "I'm sure they're just trying to get the baby ready. Babies don't give a rat's rump about anybody's schedule. Remember how this one used to be?" She asked, gesturing at Bog.

 As if on cue, a baby's cry rang out, barely muffled by the great double doors of the throne room. A young page burst suddenly through, looking rather harried, and shut the door quickly behind him. He cleared his throat a few times, and then proclaimed, "A-announcing their Royal Majesties, The King and Queen of the Fairies, Rulers of the Light Fields, King Dagda and Queen Boanne."

 "About bloody time," Bog's father huffed.

 The doors were flung open to great fanfare. Trumpets blared and drums rolled, but the sound seemed to pale in comparison to the strength of the baby's wailing. The King and Queen entered, strained smiles plastered onto both of their faces. They were both looking a bit disheveled—the Queen’s gown was rumpled and creased, the King’s crown sat crooked upon his head. Bog could see a writhing bundle of blankets clutched in the Queen's arms—the source of the howling cries.

 "We'd like to—" the fairy King began before being cut off by an especially shrill scream. He started again, practically shouting to be heard over the crying. "We'd like to thank everyone for coming today. Many of you have travelled great distances, and we are truly honored by your presence."

 The Queen spoke up, "We are immensely pleased to present to you--" she paused to stifle a yawn, "--our daughter, the Crown Princess of the Light Fields, Princess Marianne."

 The room erupted into thunderous applause, inciting a fresh wave of squalling from the baby. The fairy monarchs exchanged grimaces while a golden cradle was brought out. The Queen placed the small squirming bundle in the cradle, as the King announced, "And now, we would like to invite you to come forward and meet the future Queen of the Light Fields."

 As visiting royalty, Bog's family was given the honor of being invited up first to see the infant princess. The King and Queen of the Fairies greeted them as they approached the dais—Queen Boanne was gracious and inviting, King Dagda a bit more reserved. They looked equally exhausted, however, with dark circles under their eyes, shoulders sagging with fatigue.

 "She's got a fine pair of lungs on her, Dagda!" Bog's father boomed as he approached, earlier impatience forgotten. He clapped a hand on the fairy King's shoulder, and gave it an enthusiastic shake for good measure, nearly toppling the weary man. "It'll serve her well when she's issuing commands someday, eh?"

 Bog's mother had taken the fairy Queen's hand and was patting it sympathetically, saying, "Colic, right? The poor dear. Boggy was the same way. We barely slept a wink for months!"

 Bog was far more interested in the wailing baby fairy than in listening to the grown-ups chat. From the sound of her, Bog thought that she must be a fierce little thing.

 He marched directly over to the cradle, stood up onto the tips of his toes, poked his nose over the edge, and peered in.

 The baby looked a lot like the adult fairies, Bog thought, but she didn't have nearly as much fur on her head‒only a few thin brown wisps. There were no teeth in her open screaming mouth, just pink gums. She'd managed to wriggle most of the way out of her blankets, and, as far as Bog could tell, there weren't even any wings on her back.

  _So…maybe not so fierce?_

 The little princess continued to shriek, her pudgy little face mottled red, tiny fists flailing. There was some kind of mucus dripping from her nose.

  _Heh. Gross,_ Bog thought.

 Being _exceedingly_ careful to keep his claws tucked safely away—he'd been warned several times about the fragility of fairies—Bog reached into the cradle, and gave the baby's cheek a gentle nudge with his knuckle. _She was so soft!_

 The bawling trailed off into whimpers, and then into a series of blubbery little hiccups. At last, the tiny fairy princess opened her eyes.

 She blinked up at Bog with big amber eyes that still swam with unshed tears.

 "Hello," Bog said, smiling down at the odd little creature.

 Like a moonbeam emerging from behind a thundercloud, Princess Marianne broke into a bright, gummy smile. She cooed and babbled at him, reaching up with her wee little hands.

 "She likes you," a kind voice murmured.

 Bog looked up to see the Queen of the Fairies crouched at the other side of the cradle, a warm, grateful smile gracing her lips. "Thank you for making her smile."

 Bog smiled back timidly. "N-no probl—"

 Bog's eyes blew wide in alarm as a set of delicate miniature fingers latched themselves suddenly—and _very_ firmly—onto his nose.

 "O-oh no!" the queen exclaimed. She stood, and began carefully coaxing the princess' little fingers off of Bog's nose and away from his nostrils; Princess Marianne burbled with delight through the entire process. "I'm _so_ sorry!" the queen said with an apologetic laugh, kneeling once more to look Bog in the eyes, "Are you alright dear?"

 Bog rubbed his nose. "She has a very strong grip."

 The fairy queen laughed, a bright, musical sound. "That she does!" she said. "She _loves_ to grab my hair whenever she can,” she leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "and she's gotten ahold of my husband's ears more times than I can count!"

 Bog's mother and father soon made their way over to meet the little princess. His mom "oohed" and "aahed"; his da just grinned, and gave a hearty grunt of approval.

 Bog looked down once more at the infant fairy, who was now contentedly blowing bubbles with her own spit, and grinned with pride. _He_ had been the one to make her happy, to make her smile.

 And then, far too quickly it seemed, hands were shaken, congratulations offered, and Bog found himself being marched off the dais, through the hall, and towards the door, firmly sandwiched between his parents.

 Bog looked back over his shoulder at the fairy King and Queen, who were already greeting the next group of dignitaries in line.

 The Queen caught his eye, smiled, and sent a small wave his way.

  _It was definitely worth it,_ he thought as he turned back to the door. _Even with all that waiting around._

He’d seen an entirely new world—one that was a bit scary and much more open than he was used to, but full of light and color and interesting things just waiting to be discovered. And he’d met not just one, but _two_ fairies that he liked! A kind Queen with a warm smile, and—he touched a hand to his still-smarting nose—a tiny fairy princess who was _much_ fiercer than she looked!

 

**Author's Note:**

> Note on Marianne's mom's name: I thought really long and hard on what to name the Queen in this fic, and I eventually settled on Boanne, which I derived from "Boann". Boann (also known as "Bóinn") was a Celtic/Irish river goddess, and one of the chief goddesses in Celtic mythology, and her lover was the Dagda (another mythological figure) so I thought it fit nicely


End file.
